In New Zealand, private couples counsellors commonly charge about $165 to $185 for a 60-minute session, and roughly $265 to $335 for 90 minutes, including GST, as of October 2026. Full-day intensives can run to about $1,300. Community services with income-based fees can cost less, and some employers pay for sessions through an assistance programme. Most couples need more than one session, so ask about the likely total, not only the hourly rate.
It is late. You have the banking app open in one tab and a counsellor’s website in the other. You are doing sums. You are also wondering whether your partner will even come.
Two things move the price most. Length is the biggest. Ninety minutes costs more than sixty, and many couples find the longer session more useful early on, when there is a lot to cover. Experience is next. Someone trained in couples work usually charges more than a student or an intern. Check whether a price includes GST, since some practices quote it on top. Online sessions cost the same or a little less than sitting in the room, and you save the travel.
There are cheaper routes worth checking. Ask your employer whether they offer an Employee Assistance Programme. Some fund free or subsidised counselling. Check whether your health insurance covers counselling. Some community counselling services charge on a sliding scale by income. ACC funds counselling after an injury, including sexual abuse or assault. It generally does not fund couples counselling.
The hourly rate is the wrong number to compare. I think of a marriage as a relationship bank account. While you wait, the withdrawals keep coming out: the short answers and the cold dinners. Twelve sessions at a lower rate can cost more than four at a higher one, so compare the total. So ask any counsellor, including us, how many sessions they expect and what you will be doing between them.
I know this from our own marriage. In the 1990s Christine and I photographed royalty in Malaysia. Palaces. Limousines. I was given a gold watch with the King’s crest.
Back home in the Belmont hills, our marriage was dying. I had no idea how we had got there. The account that mattered most was nearly empty.
So look up the prices, then talk to two or three counsellors before you choose. Most offer a free first call.
We talk through our fees, and what is included, on a free 15-minute call. Book a free 15-minute call. Tell us where things are. We will be honest about what is possible. We work with couples online across New Zealand and in person in Havelock North, and you can read more about couples therapy with us.
Related questions
Does ACC pay for couples counselling? Generally no. ACC funds counselling after an injury, including sexual abuse or assault. For couples counselling, check whether your employer offers an assistance programme, and whether your health insurance covers counselling.
Can we get free couples counselling in New Zealand? Sometimes. Some employers fund free or subsidised sessions through an Employee Assistance Programme, so ask your HR team. Some community services charge on a sliding scale by income, and many counsellors offer a free first call.
Is online couples counselling cheaper? Often it costs the same or a little less than in person. The saving is time and travel, and how easily a session fits around work and children.
How many couples counselling sessions will we need? It depends on where things are between you. Ask any counsellor for an estimate before you start, and what you will do between sessions, so you can judge the total cost.